Dungy, Brooks, Harrison and Jones are the four people eligible for the first time this year among the class of 25 semifinalists. That group of 25 was announced today from a previously announced list of 126 nominees.

Not quite sure Dungy deserves it. He won one. If that’s the case, then Dick Vermeil – whom I do think deserves it – ought to be in.

nfl fan says:Nov 20, 2013 10:58 PM

Strahan!

redsoxchamp11 says:Nov 20, 2013 10:58 PM

would love to see Dungy, Brooks, and Lynch all go in together. Go Bucs.

mrlaloosh says:Nov 20, 2013 10:58 PM

Morten Andersen was the best. All time scorer for TWO different teams. The Great Dane needs to be in the HOF.

autumnwind999 says:Nov 20, 2013 10:58 PM

Absolutely ludicrous that Tim Brown is not in yet. His career stats are on par or better than Marvin Harrison’s. Brown didn’t have the benefit of Peyton Manning throwing him passes in a dome his entire career either.

Also, Tom Rathman needs to get in on that list, as well as Brant Young.

chawk12thman says:Nov 20, 2013 11:10 PM

Walter Jones deserves to go into the Hall. What makes someone a first ballot or not is another debate. He deserves to be in and will be. Maybe not this go around, but he will be in the top 15.

kd75 says:Nov 20, 2013 11:12 PM

Strahan and Guy over any of these other fools.

Can anybody say Dungy was the BEST coach in the NFL at any point of his career?

croghan1919 says:Nov 20, 2013 11:13 PM

As a Colts its nice to see TDungy and MHarrison made the semis.
Tony’s resume is much more HOF worthy than Marvin’s.
WR Marvin can wait like WR C. Carter did.
Tony deserves to go now.
If for no other reason than he’s the first AA head coach to win a SB

richdaddy1231 says:Nov 20, 2013 11:13 PM

De Bartolo is a cheater and should not be in the hall of fame ever…. I see again no lc greenwood…what a joke of a “hall of fame”

adoombray says:Nov 20, 2013 11:15 PM

It continues to absolutely stun me that Charles Haley and his 6 rings aren’t in yet. Anyone who watched football in the early 90’s will never forget the impact he made. He was in on every play and should have been first ballot.

Derrick Brooks, Marvin Harrison, Jerome Bettis, Walter Jones and Michael Strahan are my bet. A couple other guys could get in, but those are my five. Also, just my personal opinion, but Tony Dungy doesn’t deserve to be a first ballot, let alone a hall of famer in general. Nice guy, but…

I’m going to be appalled if Marvin doesn’t get in as a first ballot. Strahan should have been. Marvin was an absolute machine, yes he played with Peyton but he made incredible catches just about every game.

How is Tom Flores not in the HOF? He was the first minority head coach to win the Super Bowl, and he did it twice. He did have a bad run at the end with Seattle, but how many hall of farmers had similar endings they would rather forget about? Sapp with my raiders, broadway joe with the lams, emit smith with the cardinals?

Walter Jones dominated everyone he ever played against. His only bad games (very, very few) came late in his career when he was essentially playing on one leg. If he and Derrick Brooks are not shoe-ins, then this truly is a farce.

Aeneas Williams deserves to be in as much or more than just about everyone on that list. He toiled away with some AWFUL Cardinals teams while quietly being the second best CB of his era behind Deion Sanders. He should be a lock. If he’d played his entire career with a winner he’d be a household name.

The man is one of the greatest of all time, right behind Jerry Rice. In 2002 he caught an NFL record 143 catches in one season. No one has gotten any closer than 20 catches to his mark. Marvin amassed 1102 career catches, 14,580 yards and 128 TDs.
Yes Marvin Harrison has earned his place in the HOF.

Walter Jones is in the argument as best player, regardless of position, of all time. He gave up 23 sacks and had 9 holding penalties called against him in 180 games. Three of those sacks came in his final game, against the Cowboys, Thanksgiving 2008, against DeMarcus Ware. Jones was playing with a knee injury that ended his career.

Unless you simply have no appreciation for great linemen, he’s CLEARLY a first-ballot all time great.

praetorian12 says:Nov 21, 2013 1:02 AM

Whether Walter Jones is the best Left Tackle of all time is debatable… but he’s safely in the top three. Top three LT = first ballot hall of famer.

osiris33 says:Nov 21, 2013 1:09 AM

Brown, Brooks, Jones, Haley and Terrell Davis. Dungy isn’t even on the radar. Many in this group are more deserving.

stoolerz says:Nov 21, 2013 1:24 AM

Glad not to see Art Model’s name

threatlevelxmidnight says:Nov 21, 2013 1:25 AM

Really…John Lynch?…Really…Jerome Bettis?…Really. These guys were awesome and fun to watch but, HOFers? I think not.

profbob2 says:Nov 21, 2013 2:03 AM

I can’t believe it! Where is Tom Flores? He was the first person to have four Super Bowl rings – – one as a player, one has an assistant coach and two as head coach. And if I am not mistaken, he still holds the Raider record for most touchdown passes in a game. Why is he less of a candidate than a kicker or an owner?

It is a cryin’ ass shame that Tim Brown isn’t in already. I know Haley always has the rep as a psycho nutjob, but he has 5…count ’em, 5 Super Bowl rings. And was a total beast on the field. I think Jimmy Johnson is a no-brainer…he should definitely be in. He won 2 Super Bowls and is most certainly responsible for the coached-up talent in Dallas that won a 3rd. And last, but certainly not least, Morten Andersen. Like Brown, why is this dude not already in?!

anicra says:Nov 21, 2013 2:17 AM

Walter Jones automatic 1st ballot- You can argue he was one of the best LT of all time.

Tony Dungy is NOT HOF material, sorry… I LOVE the guy, but lets try to get guys in the deserve it!! I mean I’m a Raider Fan and even I know Mecklenberg has waited long enough…. Lets get THAT guy in first and then worry about a one time SB winning coach that’s a really nice guy… Plus I see Two other coaches on that list that should go in waaaaaay before Dungy is even considered!!!!

Tony Dungy is popular and was a good player and Head Coach but he is not a Hall of Famer and never will be. This isn’t the Hall of good and popular. This is the Hall of Fame and he definitely doesn’t make it as a player and in my opinion doesn’t make it as a coach either. Winning 1 Super Bowl doesn’t guarantee your bust in the HOF in Canton.

It’s embarrassing to the NFL if Walter Jones doesn’t make first ballet.. He was the quintessential Left tackle aka Blind side and evolved the position like LT did. He was the new agile, quick footed huge man legs player all other tackles are compared to. He was one of if not the very best LT for a decade. None of the other people on the list can claim that.

Not knocking on any person by any means but even Strahan wasn’t even the best DE when he played, one of yes but Walter Jones was a lock for all pro every year with Ogden and others joining him regularly. It’s a shame on offensive linemen if he’s not inducted into the hall of fame first ballot. IMO, he’s the only lock.

PacificNWMark says:Nov 21, 2013 3:42 AM

Walter Junior Jones should be a first-ballot HoF inductee. In his 12 NFL seasons, Jones was assessed just 9 holding penalties, and only 23 sacks allowed – over 12 years! He was voted to 9 Pro-Bowls, and 4 times was named first-team All-Pro. He was the best left tackle in the game when he played, and few have ever played the position better.

Walter Jones and Orlando Pace were the two most dominating LTs I’ve ever seen play. Jones deserves to go first ballot. Tim Brown retired 1st or 2nd in almost all major receiving categories, how it took Cris Carter and Tim Brown more than one trip is simply ludicrous.

Harrison wasn’t that superior to Reed or Brown to leap frog either of them. This might be a year with no first ballot players and the Hall just knocks out a couple of guys who have been waiting for a bit. I wont have a problem with anyone on that list making it though. I mean guys like Roger Craig, Joe Jacoby and Karl Mecklenberg are lesser known to today’s fan but those guys were absolute beasts.

* Sorry if I butchered your last name, Karl!

4512dawg4512 says:Nov 21, 2013 4:43 AM

I’d like to see #77 Mecklenburg get up in that thang!

joetoronto says:Nov 21, 2013 4:51 AM

Terrell Davis didn’t play long enough.

Karl Mecklenburg, Aeneas Williams and Tony Dungy weren’t good enough.

To say Paul Tagliabue wasn’t good enough would be a compliment to him.

Brown should have been first ballot, his all purpose yards are sick. A.Reed should be in as well. TD should get Gale Sayers type of support. TD was the best back in the league before injuries robbed him. If Sayers is in so should TD.

deblbutler says:Nov 21, 2013 9:27 AM

Dungy also coached John Lynch. Brooks should be a first rounder, Dungy no. Lynch, doubtful.

Will Shields – 12 Pro-Bowls and 8 times an All-Pro. If he’s not on your short list, he should be.

youngbloodsfibula says:Nov 21, 2013 10:25 AM

Terrell Davis
Kevin Greene
Ray Guy
Marvin Harrison
Walter Jones

I will admit Greene is a slight sentimental pick for me amongst this group of candidates but I believe he is Hall worthy, totally underrated & rarely discussed. His time as a Ram & Steeler was outstanding.

I think every year that passes the more unlikely it is the Bus will get in. There is no way I put Terrell Davis in over the Bus and I am not even a Steelers fan. It is hard to argue against Harrison’s body of work. Maybe his off the field stuff will work against him but his numbers are HOF worthy. Walter Jones, Will Shields, Andre Reed, Strahan and Tim Brown.

The obvious shorter path to the Hall of Fame for ex-players is to become a tv commentator after their career is over. Witness this: Deon Sanders, Warren Sapp, Shannon Sharpe, Marshall Falk, Kurt Warner, Troy Ailman, Rodney Harrison, etc. Not that these gentlemen aren’t worthy, because they are, but it seems to be a shorter route and keeps them in the public eye. That will give a leg up to Tony Dungy and Jimmy Johnson, Michael Strahan and John Lynch, and good luck to Morton Anderson, Ray Guy (kickers) and Terrell Davis and the rest of the field.

Once again if Charles Haley is not elected this year then the hall of fame selection process is a total joke. I am not a fan of the teams he played for but you cannot write NFL history without the only may to win 5 super bowls!!

ratsfoiledagain says:Nov 21, 2013 12:34 PM

Terrell Davis isn’t a HOF’er. I understand he has two SB, but that’s more of a team accomplishment than it is at any point an individual one.

By comparison, a RB that many thought/believed wasn’t good, Shaun Alexander, had better stats than Davis. I doubt Alexander will ever make the HOF.

Davis played 7 years. Alexander’s first 7 years (he played 9) are much better in all statistical categories.

The anti-Dungy contingent is all about championship myopia. If having only one ring makes you think he’s not first-ballot material, fine, but to argue he’s not HOF-worthy at all is just dumb. Dungy is top 10 all-time in winning percentage (minimum 100 games), and he’s at the top in frequency of taking teams to the playoffs (also min. 100) with 11 of 13 seasons (better than Belichick). He turned around the train wreck that had been the Bucs virtually overnight, and he very likely would have won a Super Bowl with the Bucs if the owners hadn’t tossed him overboard for Gruden, who essentially won with Dungy’s team. For purely historical value, he was the first black coach to win a Super Bowl. Of course he needs to be in the HOF.

By that criteria, Gale Sayers shouldn’t be in the HOF. Come on, man! Davis was the missing piece that helped the Broncos win TWO Super Bowls AND Davis is one of a select few to rush for 2,000 yards in one season. If Sayers is in, Davis should be in the HOF as well.

drelms says:Nov 21, 2013 1:20 PM

Dungy cares about two things and has spoken out about those two things over and over. He wants white ownership and coaches replaced by black ones, and he demands that the Washington Redskins change their name.

He wants to tell the rest of us how to live our lives, but obviously had no ability to raise his own children properly.

Used to love him when he was a coach, but keep the fool off the soap box preaching or get him the he!! out of here.

Walter Jones is a lock. He is without question the top candidate among this year’s group.

Rockets GM says:Nov 22, 2013 8:36 AM

Marvin Harrison is the absolute BEST player in this group. Haters going to hate on here of course, but the stats are light years above the others. 143 catches in a season?!?! 6x First Team All Pro in an era with the likes of Moss, Owens, Holt, Bruce and Wayne is staggering. 8 Time Pro Bowler. His stats are the only ones to ever come close to the great Jerry Rice.